Perfectly Normal
by livewiresandwildfires
Summary: He took a second to examine the four men that had woken him from his much deserved sleep. He noted that they weren't enemies necessarily, but he considered shooting them anyway. "Hey, Cub. Long time no see." / First in my Perfect Series. Inspired by RugitusAstra's 'Uninvited Houseguests'. / Rated T for strong language and violence.
1. Prolouge

**Authors Note:**  
 **Note on experience and reviews: This is my first Fan Fiction, I actually wrote it years ago and am editing and posting it now. I'm not gonna say be nice, but do try to be constructive in your criticism. And every little thing helps.**  
 **Note on proof reading: I don't have a Beta or anything. I proofread my own stories and my spelling and grammar aren't always the best. Tell me if you catch anything.**  
 **Note on nationality: I am not from London or anywhere in Europe. I am Canadian. Everything I know is based off books. Sorry if I get anything wrong and feel free to point out any geographical, grammatical or governmental errors I make. Etc. Etc.**  
 **Note on writing style: My style has been largely impacted by all the fan fiction and novels I read. I don't really have my own style, but I try to make it consistent.**  
 **Note on disclaimer and writing style: Everything Alex Rider belongs to Anthony Horowitz. Almost the entire first part of Prologue is directly from book 1. Also, I occasionally find something in a fanfic or novel that is just so perfectly written, I might borrow it. Consciously or unconsciously. I paraphrase a bit, but if you recognize someone else's brilliance, I disclaim. Also, sometimes there is a phrase or sentence that I want to use so badly that I'll design an entire paragraph or even a chapter just so I can use it. So sorry if it's a bit disconnected.**  
 **Note on updates: This is all pre written. I'll update regularly, but not all at once so I can see reactions and fix up chapters accordingly. I've already planned a sequel, and maybe a couple after that if your interested. This is more for my writing improvement and my entertainment than anything else, but stay tuned anyway.**  
 **Note on author's notes: I hate long AN's so this is the only long one you'll see from me!**

 **This story was inspired and based around 'Uninvited Houseguests' by RugitusAstra. If you enjoy this story, you'll love theirs!**

* * *

We all know by now that when the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it's never good news. Alex Rider was woken by the first chime. His eyes flickered open, but for a moment he stayed completely still in his bed, lying on his back with his head resting on the pillow.

He waited to hear a bedroom door open. The creak of wood as somebody went downstairs. The bell rang a second time, and he remembered that he was alone in the house. The pain of that realization was sharp, as always, but soon forgotten.

He looked at the alarm clock glowing beside him, then heaved himself out of bed as gracefully as someone woken at 3am could. He slid a handgun from his bedside table and padded silently out of his room.

Well, actually, it was Ian's old room. He'd decided to take over after he got back, finding out that Ian had quite a few useful things hidden in the room.

He passed Jack's old room with barely a second glance. Barely. There was a rattle as he slid the security chain off the front door. Gun held loosely behind his back, he let the door swing open. He took a second to examine the four men that had woken him from his much deserved sleep.

He noted that they weren't enemies necessarily, but he considered shooting them anyway.

"Hey, Cub. Long time no see."

Alex sighed at the horrendous cliche, but was saved from answering by the phone going off down the hall. He turned, leaving the door wide open and went to answer. He picked up slowly and took an indecipherable, calming breath, still keeping the four men in clear view.

"Rider," Alex stated in the most professional voice he could muster, whilst gesturing pointedly at the shoe rack with the muzzle of his gun. He angled towards the wall as the men started awkwardly pulling off their combat boots.

Unsurprisingly, the calm voice of Tulip Jones replied from the other end of the line. Who else would be calling at 3am just after four soldiers waltzed into his foyer?

If you looked closely, you could see the microscopic downturn of Alex's lips as the voice explained the situation. Of course I considered all the options. I wouldn't invade your privacy like this if it wasn't absolutely necessary. It's for your own protection, Alex. It's only temporary, Alex. Yeah, he didn't believe it for a second. But he'd figure out what was going on fast enough.

He glared holes into the wall until the woman halted her speech. When the entirely one sided conversation finally ended, Alex gave a small nod to signify his acknowledgment, even though the woman on the other side couldn't see him. He then promptly hung up the phone.

Turning back to the now shoeless army figures standing stoic by the front door, he decided the wasn't really in the mood for social interaction.

"There's 3 spare rooms upstairs, don't come into my room unless the house is literally being burned to the ground. Same goes for the office. One of you will have to take the couch."

Partway through his spiel he had turned and started to walk up the stairs. By the time he finished, he was at the top. Without turning around he spoke again.

"Oh, and if you wake me up again, you won't be waking up again."

He was down the hall in seconds, closing his bedroom door with a barely audible snap and replacing his handgun. Distantly, he could hear his old unit conversing below him.

He vaguely caught a gruff voice saying, "Eagle, couch" before collapsing on his duvet and drifting off to sleep once again.

* * *

 **Next: Alex lays down the law.**


	2. Challenge Accepted

Alex woke the next morning, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He was awake, alert and upright in seconds. He stretched his arms above his head, feeling the uncomfortable tug of stitches at his side.

Shifting slightly, he lifted his t-shirt to examine the wound. Less than two weeks old, but healing well. A, what could be described as perfect, bullet wound. Through and through, missed anything vital and didn't even chip a bone. The perfect shot. For Alex, anyway, not so much for the shooter. Alex's return shot was much more accurate.

Alex swiftly pulled a first aid kit from under the bed, redressed his bandages, and moseyed downstairs. He flipped on the coffee pot, propping himself on the island to wait.

"Morning," Alex said without turning.

"Morning, Cub," Eagle replied without missing a beat. "Hope you've made enough enough for two."

"No actually, I was hoping that last night was just a particularly terrible nightmare. Seems hope doesn't go for much nowadays."

"Hear hear," Eagle huffed, leaning past Alex to take the now finished coffee from the stand. Eagle turned in a confused circle.

"Mugs?"

"To the left. Top shelf."

Two plain white mugs were retrieved and Alex and Eagle sat in silence. Alex took his coffee black, meanwhile Eagle searched the cabinets for sugar.

Alex discreetly studied Eagle over the rim of his brew. It had been almost three years now since Brecon Beacons, and plenty had changed. Eagle himself looked more or less the same. Same military style blond hair and pale blue eyes. Maybe a bit tanner from tours abroad.

It was more his aura that had changed. A little sadder, a little more mature. But at the same time, a little happier, a little more put together. And certainly, he acted like a whole new person now that he was out of hell. He was almost... Dare he say... Nice.

But then again, Alex had only interacted with him a few minutes, so plenty of time for his inner douche to come out.

There was a new scar on Eagles collar bone, just peaking out of his shirt. It looked pretty recent too, which matched what Jones had told him. K Unit was, apparently, fresh from their second tour in an undisclosed place. Jones had been pretty vague on what went down, but Alex figured it didn't really matter. They weren't there to swap stories and cry.

Jones had decided that with Alex's recent injuries, he shouldn't be alone in the house. It might also have to do with the bounty on his head and the assassination threat.

Anyway, with his old unit just back, what better time for a reunion?

 _Thanks Tulip, as always._

He was interrupted from his musing by the hollow thud of an elephant stomping down the stairs. Or more accurately, a Wolf. Closely followed by a Snake and a Fox.

The rest of the unit converged in the kitchen, helping themselves to some coffee. Fox took the seat to Alex's direct right. The man made no attempt to hide the fact that he was putting Alex under extreme scrutiny.

It hadn't been as long since they had seen each other, but they'd hardly met up recently. They had been on two missions together within the first few months of Alex's return, almost two years ago.

This also wasn't Fox's first time at the house. He had been sent to, for lack of a better word, collect Alex for meetings at the Bank. He hadn't heard much about him in a long while.

Last thing he'd gathered was that Fox had reunited with his old Brecon Beacons chums and had decided to finish SAS training and join them in the field. Fox had been just in time for K Units second tour.

Alex was, once again, pulled from his thoughts by Wolf. This time though, it was deliberate as Wolf coughed pointedly into his hand. Alex, just as pointedly, ignored him. After a moment's pause, Wolf repeated the action significantly louder.

"Gotta cold, Wolf? Should I fetch a blanket?"

Colour rushed to Wolf's cheeks.

"No, Cub. Listen," _as if he wasn't already listening_ , "I think we have some explaining to do," _oh you think so, aye?_ "and we'd like a few answers too," _wouldn't you just_ , "so maybe we should have a chat," _yeah, maybe we should._

Alex resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He could tell that Wolf was much more nervous than he let on. Clearly, he was out of his element. And where Alex would usually jump at the chance to torment Wolf, now didn't seem to be the right time.

So Alex simply nodded, picking up his still steaming mug and walked towards the couch in the other room. He turned at the doorway to silently beckon K Unit. They quickly followed, four chairs scraping the tile in unison as they hastily rose.

Sitting in a rough circle on Alex's multitude of couches and arm chairs, there was a brief moment of awkward silence. It was broken suddenly, not by someone speaking, but by Fox choking haphazardly on his coffee, which he had been rapidly drinking to avoid starting the conversation.

Alex sighed inaudibly. All the awkwardness was beginning to grate on his nerves.

"You okay there, Ben?" Alex figured he'd show a little concern.

"Yeah, fine," Fox choked in reply, face turning an interesting shade of puce.

"Great. So anyway..."

"We don't exactly know why we're here," Wolf cut in.

"What do you mean? What did '6 tell you?"

"Basically, that one of their agents was injured on assignment and needed some protection until the Heads could fix the problem, or until he was better and back in the field," Wolf explained.

"They never mentioned that the agent was our old under aged unit member," Eagle put in.

"They also didn't elaborate on how you were injured or how serious it is," Snake added.

Alex nodded, taking a second to absorb the information.

"That's basically it really. I was on a mission, I was injured. Shot just below the rib cage. Through and through. No internal damage. The people I was investigating, the _Arae_ , cliché name right?, managed to escape and they said they would come a knocking."

"So did '6 tell you why you need us?"

"I don't."

"You don't know?"

"No, I mean I don't need you. I'm actually perfectly fine, but MI6 clearly doesn't agree. Jones seems to think a few minor injuries makes me incapable of defending myself," he said, his voice cool and his eyes dark. "So you guys just need to hang out here until we get the okay, okay?"

Alex got a lot of vaguely confused looks. Before they could start asking questions, he decided to change the topic.

"Okay. Now some ground rules. Like I said last night, my room and my office are off limits. If you're hungry, make something. If you're bored, entertain yourself. There's movies under the telly and board games and cards down stairs. Laundry is downstairs too. I don't care what you do as long as you aren't bugging me. I've got a ton of work, so I plan on spending the duration of your stay in my office. If we can get through this without me seeing any of your faces I'll consider it a success. That goes for you, too, Daniels," Fox gave him an incredulous look,"we aren't friends, so don't expect any special treatment, got it? Any questions?" he added the last part with a glare that didn't exactly invite questions.

When all he received was four dumbstruck looks, Alex nodded at his success.

"Good. Final rule. No questions."

Alex then quickly retreated upstairs, leaving his drained mug of coffee on the table.

As soon as K unit heard the office door click shut, they erupted in noise.

"What the actual-"

"What a-"

"-hell was he even-"

"I don't-"

"-warm welcome."

"-talking about?"

"-even understand."

"I didn't realize he was even an agent anymore," Wolf whispered.

Fox opened his mouth to say something, but aborted the question quickly. Unfortunately the other members of K unit noticed.

"Anything you want to say there, Foxy? Hmm?" Eagle asked pointedly.

Fox chocked a bit, "Well, I've told you before about my time with MI6?" K unit mumbled the affirmative. " And you know I left because I didn't agree with the way they treated one of their agents?"

"He was MI6's top agent, you said. The one we heard about from the Sergeant?"

"Yeah him. Well, it was Cub. Cub was the agent."

"Cub was the agent? Faster than a snake, clever and quick and resourceful and with a one hundred percent success rate? _That_ agent?"

"Yeah, that one. I told you he was young, didn't I?"

Eagle made a frustrated noise, "We thought you meant, like, twenties! Not a _literal fetus_."

"What does MI6 want us here for, then?" Snake asked, "If Cub is as good as everyone says, why does he need us? If he's so fast and strong and bloody smart?"

"Damaged, too." Three heads whipped around to glare at Wolf. "Don't deny it, that's what everyone says! He's quick and he's quiet and he's crazy brilliant. But they also say he's unstable, unnerving, reckless verging on suicidal, and dangerous," Wolf finished, keeping his voice quiet.

A melodramatic, A-team teenage spy? This was going to be harder than they thought. Challenge accepted.

* * *

 **Next: K unit doesn't like the 'no questions' rule.**


	3. No Questions

**Alex didn't turn out quite as angsty as I'd hoped, so insert angst as needed.**

* * *

Alex was sitting at his desk, writing up his official statement on his recent mission. Most of his paperwork, Alex managed to pawn off on other agents (much to Mrs. Jones' annoyance). But the mission accounts had to be word for word his. And of course a lot of his work was classified to the highest degree and for his and Jones' eyes only; the perks of being a mostly-illegal, pretty much secret teenage spy.

His latest mission was quite normal by his standards. Though now a days 'normal' wasn't so much infiltrating schools or posing as some rich person's son, but more along the lines of terrorist organizations and assassin training facilities. Child prostitution rings and armies with child soldiers. All the lovely little holidays that suited an agent of his age.

He'd been getting more and more adult missions since he'd come back from America. America- the land of dreams. Yeah, not quite.

He was getting older (all of sixteen years) and while he still fit quite well in the schoolboy setting, the higher ups thought it would be a waste of his skill. Though he still took up the child roll when there wasn't an easier way.

Alex had been back for nearly two years. It had taken him approximately two hours to realize he wasn't suited for life with the Pleasures. It took them two months. After those eight grueling weeks of attempting normality, Alex called Mrs. Jones and asked to be reinstated as an agent. Jones tentatively agreed and, against the Pleasures insistence, Alex returned to London.

He signed up with MI6, getting a clearance level rivaled by Mrs. Jones alone. He got back pay for the missions he did before America, access to Ian's account, his house, a very generous paycheck for each mission and an assurance that no other child would work for '6 again.

While the last part wasn't concrete, Alex believed Jones. And in about twenty years, the Official Secrets Act concerning him would expire, and the Freedom of Information act would be instilled. Everyone would know, not his name, but his story at least. It would be a huge government uproar, but it would be more than enough to make sure it never happened again.

And until then, Alex was decently happy with his position in life. The missions, assassinations, terrorists, madmen, madwoman, mad-others, attacks, everything that he'd been apart of since he was fourteen, was perfectly normal to him.

He fit into this world much better than he did in America. He would never be as good at anything as he was at being a spy. He was perfectly okay with that.

Of course, he still had to had to deal with Jones pulling stunts like this.

Not that he minded too much. In all honesty, Mrs. Jones had been good to him. She'd granted his wishes like a genie; everything he asked for was his, with the occasional twist.

For example, he'd asked for a tutor. He'd been sent a brutal and hardworking retired professor who had also been an army brat. Under the mans strict regime, pretty soon he'd not only caught up with his old classmates, but had surpassed them. At sixteen, Alex was doing work equivalent to third year university.

He had also asked for an end to having MI6 as his guardian. He'd gotten legally emancipated, but it didn't mean total freedom.

He'd gotten to live alone. In this case, alone really did mean lonely.

Additionally, of course, when '6 saw fit to send him four armed babysitters, she did just that. His agreements with MI6 weren't always ideal, there's always a price, but Alex decided he'd suck it up and deal with K unit until he could get back in the field. And he sincerely hoped he'd get back soon.

* * *

K unit stayed in the living room, sitting in utter silence. Their mugs of coffee had long since gone cold, but none of them were willing to get up and take them to the kitchen. In all honesty, they were mostly just afraid of setting off the boy upstairs. They hadn't heard a thing from him since he went upstairs nearly three hours ago. Eventually though, silence was broken. Naturally, it was by Eagle.

"Wolfie! I'm hungry."

"Help yourself to anything in the kitchen."

K unit jumped, snapping their heads around to see Alex leaning against the stairway railing. The glare on Alex's face contradicted the seemingly nice and welcoming words.

Alex stalked into the kitchen, he poured himself yet another mug of coffee, then retreated back to his fortress of solitude.

If it had been anyone else, K unit would have said he'd stormed upstairs. But he walked silent, like a ghost. It definitely was not storming. From the minuscule amount of time K unit had spent with the Alex, it was clear that he didn't, or wouldn't 'storm'. It was a more like a panther- swift, brutal and obviously displeased.

They waited until they heard the upstairs door not-slam shut. Alex also didn't slam doors. He just shut them with enough power to show his displeasure, but too little to even relate to him having a tantrum. It was quite the talent.

Slowly, K unit rose from their position on the couches. They walked as silently as they could to the kitchen. Wolf, Snake and Fox each took a seat around the island while Eagle opened the fridge. He leaned forward, then immediately lurched back.

"Ugh. Guys. Look at this," he said with a pinched look.

The rest of the unit leaned over, looking into the fridge. It was nearly empty, with just the basics. Milk, butter, bread, a jar of jam, and eggs. The bread had been frozen and still looked in decent condition. The jam also looked less than toxic. Other than that the milk was clearly way past the expiration date and the butter was molded. They didn't even want to try cracking an egg. Eagle mimed gagging.

Fox sighed heartily. "Jam on toast it is, then."

The next morning, K unit converged on the kitchen once again.

"Anyone wanna try cracking one of those eggs?" Eagle asked.

"I wouldn't do that. They've been in there a while."

Once the unit landed, they turned accusingly towards Alex, who was leaning against the counter drinking a mug of, presumably, coffee.

"Kid, do you realize you have almost no food at all?" Eagle stated.

"I've been gone, I think there's some cereal in the pantry, but the milks probably gone off. Oh, but we do have coffee." He lifted his mug like he was giving a toast, holding it closer to K unit as proof.

"Yeah, we noticed. How much of that have you had?" Snake inquired.

"What, today? Three I think."

"That stuff stunts your growth, you know."

"Hasn't yet," Alex shot back, draining the rest of his mug and sliding it across the counter to land next to the sink.

He was right, Alex was significantly taller than the last time any of them had seen him.

"He's got you there Snake," Fox pointed out.

Snake scrunched his nose, then turned back to Alex. "And what are you planning on eating with that?"

"Nothing." He shrugged. "Bullet to the stomach, remember? Still hurts to eat."

"How old is it?" Eagle inquired, probing subtly.

"Nearly two weeks now." Alex's voice became tight, as the conversation veered in an uncomfortable direction.

"Shouldn't you be in the hospital or something?" Snake demanded.

"Why? I was there for three full days."

"How did you get released?"

"I left."

"And they just let you go?"

"Yes. They always do," Alex immediately winced, hoping they hadn't caught what he'd just thrown at them.

No such luck as Snake asked, "How many times have you been shot, Cub?"

"You know what, I'm pretty sure 'no questions' was a rule," Alex said, nearly growling.

But Snake was not deterred. "I'm still technically your Unit Medic. You have to tell me."

Alex sighed, "More than a few, less than a lot."

He stalked out of the kitchen, throwing one last sentence over his shoulder.

"No questions!"

* * *

 **Next: Alex struggles to adjust.**


	4. Right?

It had been almost a week since K unit had moved in, and it was a lot harder than Alex had expected it to be. He was so used to being alone in this house - just him and his memories.

But now there were other people in his house and they reminded him so much of Jack and Ian. Tom and Sabina. And every time he saw them he couldn't ignore the memories like usual, cause they were right there.

Alex sighed and rubbed his eyes. It was nearly five in the morning and he hadn't slept at all. It was tough sleeping with all the ghosts in the halls.

His past never affected him this much when he was alone - maybe it wasn't the healthiest solution, but when he was alone, he could bottle his memories up and ignore them. Now though? Wolf was sleeping in Jack's old bed and Eagle was watching Ian's old Bond films.

Snake took his coffee the same way Sabina had, drenched with sugar, and Fox's laugh was the same as Toms; they even had the same impish grin.

Eagle had Tom's humour, and Snake's mother hen tendencies were just like Jack. Wolf's footsteps sounded like Ian's, and Fox would drum on the table like Sab.

It was too much. Alex stood up determinedly. He banished the memories, also abandoning his paperwork, and went to his (Ian's) room. He pulled on a pair of jogging pants and a t-shirt, with his old Brooklands football windbreaker over top. Zipping up his breaker, he smiled for a moment. For once, the memories flooding him were pleasant and created a sense of nostalgia. The thin black material was well worn, with stripes of dark blue and green. His last name, Rider, was printed in fading writing on the back.

Shaking his head, he left the room and walked down stairs. Passing Snake who was reading on the arm chair, on watch, and he snagged his sneakers from the shoe rack.

"Cub."

Alex stopped in his tracks.

"Yes?"

"Where are you going?" Snake dog eared his booked and leaned forward, elbows on nee's and chin in hands.

Alex gestured at his attire, then towards the door. "For a jog."

A sigh. "What part of 'we're meant to be protecting you' don't you get?"

"What, are you gonna come on a jog with me?"

"Yes." Snake stated, standing up. "Now sit on the couch and give us a minute.

Alex reluctantly did as he was told as Snake went to round up the unit.

"Seriously Cub? We barely see you for days and now you want to go for a five am jog?" Eagle complained, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh cheer up. It'll be just like the old days at Beacons."

The unit snorted collectively, and then they were off. Alex led the way, heading towards the park at the end of the road.

They reached the park in a few minutes and Alex slowed to a walk, cooling off. They passed by an ice cream truck that, surprisingly, was open at this insane hour in the morning.

"Hey Cub wait," Eagle called, "I wanna ice cream!"

Alex turned, looking at the truck. A brief look of pain crossed his face that he didn't really understand because he was over Jack's death and just because that was the same ice cream truck they always went to did not justify this emotional reaction.

"Wow hey Cub? You okay? Did you want an ice cream?"

He had to stop himself from snapping that no, he did not want an ice cream! And didn't he realise how many calories those things had?

He took a calming breath, blinking the tears back.

"No Eagle. I'm fine. Go ahead, though, it's not like we're _jogging_ or anything."

* * *

Once back at the house, Alex went to his room without a word. On the other side of the door he could hear muffled grumbling from the unit of soldiers. He gave a huff of laughter as he realized they were complaining. _'A bloody five a.m. run? Who does that kid think he is? The sarge? Bloody insane...'_

He collapsed on his bed, but he still couldn't bring himself to sleep. What was wrong with him? He was Alex Bloody Rider. Teen spy extraordinaire. He'd battled worse monsters than the ones in his head. Yet the sight of an ice cream truck nearly brings him to tears? What the bloody hell?

Alex turned over, smothering his face into his pillow in defeat. Maybe he was just tired. He really hadn't slept much since K unit had gotten there. The ghosts they'd created tended to follow Alex into his sleep.

So far, his Unit hadn't caught him in a nightmare, mostly because he'd taken to sleeping in the office, which was sound proof. Alex just had the thought that maybe he should head back to the office, when his eyes drifted shut.

* * *

Alex jerked awake with less than his usual grace. He twisted around in the dark, trying to figure out what had woken him. Then he heard it; _Thud, thud, thud._ Alex whipped around. Who was it? Was it-? Were they-?

It was his heartbeat.

He took a few deep breaths, calming his racing heart. Then there was a different _thud, thud, thud_. This time it was someone banging on his door.

"Cub? Are you alright in there?"

He was about to yell that _yes he was fine_ and _don't come in if you value your life_ , but it was too late.

The door caved in and slammed into the wall.

Alex lunged out of bed, snatching the gun fro his bedside table. The weapon had been on a hairline trigger, aimed and armed at the door. Gun in hand, safety now on, Alex walked to his unit. He glared at the door, looking at where it had snapped at the top hinge and the deadbolt. He turned a glare on Wolf, who was just getting up from his place on the floor.

"What the hell, Cub?A gun? You you could have killed someone!"

"Well, it would have served you right. Didn't your mother ever tell you not to slam doors?"

He got four incredulous, and vaguely sleepy looks.

"We thought you were being attacked, Cub!"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm just fine, as you can see. Go back to bed."

"If you're 'just fine', then what exactly was happening in here?" Fox demanded.

"It was just a nightmare, Fox. They happen. Now I'm awake, thank you very much, so it's nothing to worry about."

Alex strode passed them, down the hall, down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Cub I swear to God, if you're getting more coffee, you won't have to worry about the Arae. I'll string you up myself," Snake said completely straight faced. Alex glared, but put the coffee pot back on the stand.

Snake sighed. "I'm still on watch guys, you go back to bed, I'll make sure Cub does the same."

Alex rolled his eyes at the insinuation that he needed a babysitter, then snorted at the thought of Snake tucking him in. There's a mental image for you.

Snake leaned across the table, staring at Alex. After a few seconds, Alex cocked his head to the side. What are you doing? He wanted to ask.

When Snake said nothing, Alex thought, fine. Two can play at this game. He mirrored Snakes pose. Looking him dead in the eye. Their impromptu staring contest lasted a few silent seconds before Snake spoke up.

"You know, they don't tell people it helps to talk about things just to mess with them."

"Sometimes they do. When they want something from you. And trust me, everyone wants something from you. It's the modus operandi of the human race."

"Well now, that's a bleak outlook. Never took you for a pessimist."

"Never took you for an optimist."

"Well, at least one of us is right."

"I'm always right, it's the modus operandi of teenage spies."

"Cub. We weren't just sent here to protect you. We're meant to help you. Let us help." Snake made a frustrated gesture; halfway between reaching out to him, and aiming to strangle him.

"I would if you could. But you can't so I shan't."

"Quit screwing about, kid. Don't you know how to hold a conversation?"

Alex smirked.

"Snake, if I thought it would help, I'd tell you my whole damn life story. I just don't think it'll help," he tried to placate the older man.

"How do you know if you don't try?"

Alex opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. Why didn't Alex think it'd help? He'd never tried talking about it. MI6 had never sent him to a shrink. He'd never talked to Jack, too scared that she'd make him stop going on missions and then he'd be alone. He'd only ever told Tom the cool stuff. The stuff that made Tom ohh and aww at the thought of being a teen spy.

Tom knew better, but it was nice to think he was protecting someone. The Pleasure's suggested therapy once, but he wasn't there long enough for it to ever be more than a thought.

Alex looked at Snake. Maybe it could help, the man knew what the life was like. He reopened his mouth, not sure where to start, but thinking he should start. Snake was sitting there, patient. Waiting for him. Just like that, he lost his nerve. Did Snake really want to help? Everyone wanted something, what did Snake want? K unit had been trying to figure him out. Many people had tried to figure out the enigma that was Alex Rider. Alex stood suddenly.

"It won't help," he said before leaving Snake at the table. The soldier made a choked noise, like he wanted to call out after him. Seemingly thinking better of it, Snake let him get away.

He went back to the office, lying on the couch. He tugged his makeshift bed into place, pulling his duvet around him in a cocoon. _Stupid,_ he thought. _You can't just trust people like that. You know you can't. Nobody does something without expecting something in return. You can't afford to owe anyone._

You can't trust anyone. Right?

* * *

 **Next: Alex and K unit bond. Sort of.**


	5. Nice To Meet You, Alex Rider

The next morning Cub didn't come down again for a while. If K unit hadn't all been waiting for him, they never would have noticed. Like usual.

Even so, they barely saw him coming - they sat on the couches, patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for their youngest member. Cub was unbelievably quiet. He was halfway down the stairs before Fox noticed him, and he was the first.

"Jesus Cub! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Fox exclaimed, erupting from his seat and clutching his chest; his face pinched with pain.

"Damn, Fox. You figured out my nefarious plot to get rid of the lot of you. Walking down staircases. So sinister." His voice almost dripped with sarcasm and his face was completely devoid of emotion.

Wolf rolled his eyes at their antics. "We already put the coffee on."

With that, Cub disappear into the kitchen, with the closest thing to a smile they'd seen on his face. Moments later he came back out, coffee filled to the brim; instead of rushing upstairs to hide himself away, like usual, he sat on an open armchair. He balanced his mug precariously on the armrest of his seat and kicked his bare feet up on the coffee table.

"Cub." Fox started, having finally caught his breath back.

"Fox." Cub snarked.

"You're okay aren't you?" Fox tried to keep the concern in his voice to a minimum, knowing Cub wouldn't appreciate it.

"Yes. Perfectly okay. Perfectly normal. Perfectly fine. Perfect."

No one really knew how to respond to that.

"It's just, last night seemed a little rough." Cub leaned back casually in his seat, for all the world the picture of unconcern.

The kid snorted. "Last night, the night before. Every night is a rough night, Ben."

"So you get nightmares often?" Snake asked leaning forward slightly.

"Don't you? I'd assume it's not uncommon in our line of work."

K unit exchanged uneasy looks. Somehow, whenever they spoke to the kid (not that they had much opportunity), he managed to turn it back on them. That, or he'd make so many witty remarks that none of them realized he hadn't even answered their question until he was long gone.

Every time they thought they were making leeway with the kid, he flipped back on them and they were right where they started.

"If you're scared of the Arae, Cub, you can talk to us." Wolf stated.

Alex turned to look at Snake, Wolf's words sounding suspiciously familiar.

"Me? Scared? That's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one."

"Cub please-"

"Eagle." Alex interrupted. "Listen close, cause I won't say it again. I. Am not. Scared. Are you?"

"Considering we barely know a thing about them, not really." Wolf snorted.

"Maybe you should enlighten us." Eagle chimed in.

"Eh, you'll find out when they come."

"And if they don't come?"

"Have a little faith! They'll come."

* * *

Cub stayed downstairs with them for the remainder of the day. Wolf noticed that, while he didn't say much, he was actively a part of the conversation and was constantly observing them.

This was a far cry from _'if we can get through this without me seeing any of your faces I'll consider it a success'_. Wolf figured that Cub was finally as interested in figuring them out as they were in figuring him out.

Though, judging from the kids calculating look, he was doing a lot better than they were. He was the spy after all.

Anyway, Wolf didn't really mind Cub trying to figure them out. Half the time, Wolf himself couldn't even figure his unit out.

Also, he realized, Cub was actually pretty funny. Wolf remembered him being kind of quiet and sarcastic back at BB, but back then he hadn't paid much attention to much aside from his age. He had a kind of dry sense of humour and a crazy big vocabulary. If the whole spy thing didn't work out, he could be an English Professor.

Wolf had heard somewhere that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but Cub was so clearly brilliant that he got away with it flawlessly.

He also had this almost annoying way of saying things like there was a double meaning. Almost like an inside joke that none of them were a part of.

In conclusion, just trying to have a conversation with the kid was like solving an A Rubik's Cube. You get one side perfect, then end up having to mess it up to do the other side. The result is a half finished cube and mild-to-intense frustration.

Wolf figured that the longer he spoke to Cub, the more messed up the metaphorical cube would become. He could already see that little Cub was much more complex than any of them had guessed. Layers upon layers of spy, school boy, adult, soldier, child, and more that Wolf hadn't even begun to see.

Just sitting having coffee with them probably hid several ulterior motives. Cub was a tough code to crack. Yet, Wolf was glad he'd get the opportunity to try.

"You know kid, we've been living together for a week and you haven't even told us your real name." Snake pointed out.

"If I told you," Cub replied. "Would you actually use it?"

"Probably not, you'll always be our little Cubby. But it's the thought that counts, am I right?"

Alex sighed at Eagles antics. "You haven't told me your names either, you know."

Fox smirked stretching out a hand to Cub. "Ben Daniels, pleasure to meet you."

Cub smacked his hand away with a laugh. Rolling his eyes and giving Fox a look that spoke louder than words. Much louder.

"Iason Jake Clark." Snake stated.

"Really? Well that's clearly Scottish. And Jake? Like Jake the Snake?"

"Never say the Sergeant doesn't have a sense of humour."

"And you lot?" Alex asked, turning to Wolf and Eagle.

Wolf was the one to speak up first. "Aaron San Luca."

Alex nodded. "Spanish." He turned to Eagle.

"Landon Taylor." Eagle put in.

"Alex Rider."

K unit looked at each other. Rolling the name over in their heads. Alex Rider. Certainly had a ring to it. And it suited him perfectly. It was like saying James Bond or Darth Vader or Mickey Mouse. The name practically said it all; and it stuck.

"Nice to meet you, Alex Rider."


	6. End Of Conversation

**Btw the timeline isn't day by day. There's some time skipping, so you can fill in any blanks.**

* * *

In the end, Alex thought he should have seen it coming. He _knew_ better than to fall into a routine; knew better than to get attached.

He would never say it out loud, but K unit had grown on him. He enjoyed the groups company, they could be a welcome distraction from his impending thoughts.

But of course, it wouldn't matter how _not horrible_ K unit was if they were dead. Thanks to Alex, because he let his guard down, they almost were.

* * *

"Cub, this has got to stop. What kind of teenager goes on a run _every morning_. Aren't you supposed to be lazy and sleep til noon?"

"That's just you, Eagle," Alex tugged his sneaker over his heel. "Come on, we're burning daylight!"

"Never mind the fact that the sun _isn't even up yet."_

Shaking his in mock despair, Alex and Wolf led the grumbling unit down their usual route. They made quick work of it, even despite Alex's injures. Coming up to the park, Alex slowed to a brisk walk. His unit screeched to a stop behind him.

Together, they passed the infamous ice cream truck. The vendor gave them a hopeful look, but (despite Eagle's protest's) Alex continued walking. He walked all the way to a small pond with a large bench overlooking it, the seating just a few feet from the water's edge. Plopping down to catch his breath, he looked out over the calm water. Light grey clouds were reflected on the smooth surface.

"Booking it today, huh kid?" Snake asked with amusement; the man was audibly panting.

Alex guessed he'd gone a little faster than usual, but for some reason he had felt oddly exposed on the open road.

Staring thoughtfully at the lake, he suddenly got the same feeling as early; exposure. The feeling he got when he was being stared down through a sniper scope or a spy's binoculars. That's when he saw it, a flash of black in the muddled grey. He drew his eyes over to the wavy reflection of a tall brick building. The old firehouse overlooked the park and was just visible from the lake over the treetops.

On top of that blurry, vaguely rectangular shaped red blob was a smaller, black splotch. With a feeling of dread, Alex turned subtly. He didn't look directly at the building, instead making it look like he was turned to his unit; maybe about to speak to the men. Alex knew that, at this angle, he presented a perfect target to any threat on the building. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of metal - too shiny and new to belong to the old London neighbor hood.

"Get down," he said calmly, making the statement like he would any other. K unit halted their conversation, word cut off in the middle of formation. The soldier's eyes widened as they comprehended his words, then they promptly threw themselves to the ground.

Alex snapped his head around, spotting and confirming the location of the sniper before tossing himself to the grass as well.

Just in time, too. A bullet whizzed past the bench, slamming into the edge of the pond with a splash. Flecks of water hit Alex, dripping down his cheeks like tears. Two more shots went off, Alex rolled twice to his left - sand stuck to his bare arms. He hit the pond, a shock of icy water dousing the side of his body making him gasp.

He looked up in time to watch the two bullets find a mark; one careened into the ground, an inch from Fox's head. The soldier shouted and pulled out his concealed firearm. The other bullet chipped the top of the bench, the old wood exploding into splinters and the bullet deflecting - right into Eagle's foot. Alex heard the shout of pain, but was already on the move.

Ducking into the cover of a grove of trees, he opened the face of his watch. A gift from Smithers, the old fashioned clock held a few tricks. He spun the hour, minute and second hands until they all lined up perfectly with the roman numeral III - pointed towards his wrist. Then he snapped the face shut, curling his watch hand into a fist and covering the face with his other hand, one finger on the side dial - the one that sets the watches time.

Slipping out of the protection provided by the tree's, Alex dodged another speeding bullet. He crouched low, finding cover by parked cars and walls.

Alex finally made it to the firehouse doors, barreling into them shoulder first. The doors slammed inwards, the first thing Alex saw was a huge staircase leading to the upper floor. The next thing he saw was the barrel of a gun. He tossed himself to the side as the bullet embedded itself into the floor where he was standing.

Another shot hit the swinging front door.

 _Alright, not getting up that way then._

He looked around for an alternate route, eyes landing on a metal fireman pole; that would lead all the way to the top floor. Alex wrapped his hands around the sturdy tube, pulling himself up and intertwining his legs around.

He silently pulled himself to the next floor, spying the sniper. The dark figure knelt by the stairs archway, hiding behind the wall with just the gun peaking around and pointing at the floor Alex had just come from. Unfortunately for the sniper, that position left their back exposed to Alex.

In a crouch by the fireman's pole, Alex leveled his arm at the back of the figures neck; using the III to line it up. He used his other hand to push the button on the side.

The hour hand was propelled out of a slot in the watch, hitting the mark easily. Alex watched the sniper fall to the side and tumble with increasing speed down the stairs.

* * *

Alex ran into Fox and Snake right outside the firehouse. The soldiers took one look at the body in a heap by the stairs and called a clean up crew from '6.

They made their way back to the park. Eagle had his foot wrapped up, luckily the bullet had only skimmed his ankle. Still, Alex took one look at the pain on Eagle's face and the worry on the faces of the others and he walked off the park grounds.

* * *

Alex got home quickly with Wolf and Fox in pursuit. Snake lagged behind with Eagle in tow.

He rushed up the stairs, ignoring the call of _'Cub, wait'_ and locking himself in the office.

* * *

"Hello. You've reached the Royal and General Bank. This is Cindy speaking, how can I help you?"

"Hi, yes. This is Ben Daniels, SAS. Access code, Bravo - Delta - 2 - 0 - 2 - 6 - 3 - 0 - 9 - 2 - Sierra - Alpha - Sierra. I need to be patched through to Mrs. Jones."

"One moment please." There was a brief moment of silence, Fox knew that 'Cindy' was getting confirmation on whether to actually patch him through, or to tell him there's no one named Mrs. Jones there. She was probably running voice recognition and GPS simultaneously.

"Are you still there, Mr. Daniels?"

"Yes, I'm here."

"Great, I'm sending you through now. Have a nice day."

 _Beep beep beep._

"Daniels. I heard about the sniper, what's the report?"

"The threat was neutralized, but now Cub has locked himself in his office and wont come out. We don't know how to protect him if we can't see him."

"Have you tried breaking the door down?" Not the advice they expected. "Agent Rider benefits from a direct approach.

* * *

"CUB! I swear, if you don't open this door, I'm breaking it down!"

"Wouldn't do that if I were you. I've got a gun on my bookshelf, and it's a motion sensor, not a wire. Open that door and it won't miss!"

"Stop being an arse and open up!"

"Go away."

Wolf sighed, looking at his unit.

"On three?" Eagle whispered.

"On three." Wolf confirmed.

"One. Two. Three." They spun, kicking the door off its hinges before dropping and rolling to either side of the opening. 6 bullets sprayed the ground and wall where they should have been.

They waited for a moment, to see if there was a delay, then stood up and entered the room.  
Wolf let his eyes wander around, taking in the room.

It was pretty simple, almost no decoration at all. The furniture consisted of a huge oak desk covered in papers with a lamp and pencil holder in the far corner, a plain blue couch with a pillow and bedding, a simple armchair to match the couch and finally, a large oak bookshelf.

Alex was standing by the bookshelf, spinning an automatic in his right hand and holding a motion sensor in the other. Safety on and turned off, thankfully.

"Do you find it necessary to destroy all the doors in my house? Or is it just fun for you?"

"Fun."

"Ass."

"Language, Cub!"

Alex snorted and turned, placing the gun on his desk and swiftly pushing all the papers into a neat pile, turning them over so they were blank side up.  
Wolf rolled his eyes at his secretiveness, then nodded at Snake. Snake stepped forward and handed Alex a glass of water.

Alex glared at the glass like it had personally offended him.

"You talked to Mrs. Jones?" It was more a statement than a question, but Wolf decided to answer anyway.

"Yup. Said knocking the door down might be the only way to knock come sense into your thick skull. Also, the water; figured you might need drink after all the excitement."

"Cute. You care."

"Yeah right, Cub. Just drink."

Alex smirked and tipped the glass back, taking a few sips. Then he held up the glass.

"Half full or half empty?"

K unit all shook their head in exasperation. Wolf snorted at his theatrics.

"Half way up yours, I'd say..." Fox mumbled.

Alex delicately placed the glass on the corner of his desk. He then looked up at them, head slightly tilted as he stared at them through his long, mussed blond hair.

"If that's all, you can go."

"Oh, we'll go all right. You're coming with us, though."

"And what makes you think that?" Alex said, straightening up a bit and flipping his hair from his eyes.

Wolf just turned up his glare and stared at Alex. In return, he received an annoyed look, followed by Alex spinning on the balls of his feet and striding out of the room, skillfully dodging the broken door on the floor.

K unit exchanged triumphant looks and quickly followed Alex down stairs.

* * *

"You know, hiding out in your office makes it a lot harder for us-" Wolf gestured to himself and the rest of the unit. "-to protect you," he finished pointing at Alex.

"Don't you know pointing is rude?" Alex asked slapping Wolf's hand down. "How do I get this through your thick skull? I. Do not. Need. Your protection," he continued.

"Well, Jones says you do. So let us do our jobs, yeah?"

"You guys being here - it's not safe. You were almost shot today."

"So were you."

"I took care of it. Me. I can handle this, but you shouldn't have to."

"Well, here's the thing Cubby Kinz. When things go wrong, at we face it together."

"And next time the Arae take a potshot at us?"

"Then we get shot at together."

"That is not much of a comfort. Like, none, actually."

"We're staying and that's final. End of conversation."


	7. Shell Shocked

_Knock knock knock._

Alex snorted and leaned forward to place his coffee mug down. He scooped a set of keys off the coffee table in front of him, twirling them on his pointer finger, then flicked them so they were spinning on the next finger over. Not so subtly flipping Wolf the bird.

Snake poked his head out from the kitchen, where he was sitting with Fox.

"You guys didn't order out, did you? Eagle went to get groceries!"

"Calm down, Eagle forgot his keys. Again," he stated, sending a mild glare in Wolf's direction.

"Don't look at me, brat! I'm not Eagles keeper."

"No of course not, just his unit leader."

Alex laughed as Wolf pulled a face and walked to the front door. There was an almost inaudible click as the door lock was undone. Wolf turned back to the magazine he was reading, satisfied that Alex had everything under control. He distantly heard the displacement of air as the door was swung opened. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he waited for Eagles customary greeting along the lines of honey I'm home!

When it didn't come, Wolf looked up again. He went to draw his gun, "You good there, Cub?"

"Yeah yeah, fine Wolf! Just some mail, from the bank, don't worry about it." Cub's calm voice came back, but Wolf didn't dare relax just yet.

He pulled his gun, hiding the object behind his back and went to the edge of the living room. He glanced down the hallway, spotting Cub and an unknown man in black. Cub smiled, accepting a folder and waving as he shut the door.

The kid turned around, catching Wolf's eye. "It's fine, worry wart. Just a delivery from MI6."

Wolf nodded, retreating back to the living room mumbling that he _was not a worry wart thank you very much._

* * *

Alex made his way upstairs, folder clutched to his chest. He dashed into the office, letting a bit of the fear he had been concealing leak through.

 _Fuck fuck fuck._

He opened the folder, looking at the small device no bigger than his hand. The bomb flashed red, black wires curling around it. He was so screwed.

He pulled out the letter that was in the folder, skimming it quickly.

 _Master Rider,_

 _In five minutes, you will leave the house alone. If not, the explosive device will detonate; killing you and everyone in the house. You will not inform MI6. You will not inform the four soldier's in your house. You will come quietly, unarmed, and we will not harm your friends._

Alex rubbed his hand's together, then wiped the sweat on his jeans.

The bomb was secured, here in the office. Ian's old office was a certifiable fortress; equipped with alarms and weapons, soundproof and bombproof. If the bomb exploded in here, no one in the house would actually get hurt. However... Alex wasn't under the deluded impression that _this_ bomb was the only one the Arae had access too. He couldn't just keep tossing bombs into the office until the cows came home, and he didn't have enough time to think of a plan.

 _Five minutes... tick tock..._

Quickly, Alex grabbed the important documents and flash drives from his desk; he unplugged his laptop and stuck the whole lot in his bombproof, fireproof, floodproof safe. He left the office, easing the door shut behind him. He initiated the defense protocol on the alarm next to the door.

He glanced at his watch, one minute left. Rushing down the stairs, he bypassed Snake in the kitchen and Wolf and Fox in the living room. Opening the front door, he slipped out before anyone could notice and object.

Letting the front door slip shut silently behind him and glanced up the front path.

Uh oh...

Eagle was walking up the sidewalk, limping just slightly from his newly healed ankle. He had a bag of groceries in one hand a jug of milk in the other. _If Eagle stopped him they were all screwed..._

Luckily, Alex was a quick thinker; getting past Eagle was the same as getting past any security - look like you belong and no one will question you.

"Hey Eagle!" Alex called as they approached each other.

"Hey kid," Eagle replied, somewhat worried, "what are you doing out?"

"Got called into the bank, they're sending a car round," Alex lied flawlessly.

"Shouldn't we go with you?"

"Jones said not to bother." Alex passed Eagle, edging past him on path.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched a sleek silver Malibu with blacked out windows pull up. He made it to the car, and opened the back door.

Two men and a woman, all dressed in black, sat in the backseat with guns trained on him. The woman put a pointer finger to her lips, silently shushing him.

* * *

Eagle bounded up to the front porch, tossing the front door open.

"Honey I'm home!" He spotted Wolf and Fox in the living room, "When did Cub say he'd be back?"

They glanced up, Snake popped his head out of the kitchen, "What?"

Eagle felt a rush of confusion, then turned to glance behind him. He nodded at Cub, where the boy was sliding into the backseat of the silver car.

Cub looked back at the house for a moment, catching Eagle's eye. The kid looked scared; he looked terrified.

"What. The. Fuck?" Eagle exclaimed, dropping a plastic bag and a jug of milk. The bag toppled over, spilling vegetables, fruits, a bag of bread, a box of pre-made spaghetti and some packaged meat across the floor.

The milk hit the door sweep on an angle, popping open as a crack spread from bottom upwards. The milk exploded, covering the wall and slowly spreading down the hall.

The unit took off towards the car, but it was too late. The Malibu sped off down the street, with poor Cub inside.

Eagle looked at his unit mates, seeing the same storm of emotions he felt reflected in their eyes. Fox pulled out a cellphone, dialing MI6. The rest of them just stared at each other, feeling more than a little shell-shocked.

* * *

 **Next: Alex better have a good explanation.**


	8. Is That A Yes?

**Final chapter. :D thanks if you made it this far!**

 **Details for a sequal at the bottom.**

* * *

After Cub disappeared, Fox called MI6. In a rushed explanation, the soldier managed to convey what had happened.

They were told _to_ _stay where you are,_ and _backup is on the way_.

Pretty soon, a line of black cars rolled up, pulling one member of K unit into each car seperatly. They gunned it away from the house, covering the entire map. But Cub had disappeared, the Malibu fading away until it was like it had never been there in the first place.

After the failed search, K unit went to the bank while the MI6 agents covered the airports and train stations.

* * *

Wolf frowned as he stepped out of the sleek black sedan. He side stepped onto the curb, leaving room for his unit to crawl out after him.

Wolf looked up at the building in front of him. He placed a hand on his brow to block the sun as he examined the headquarters of Military Intelligence Sector 6.

Approximately fifteen stories, he estimated. It wasn't exactly a sight to behold, but it was hardly run down either. He guessed that that was, perhaps, the point. There was nothing remarkable about this building in comparison to any other bank in London; or even any other building on the street.

Wolf led his unit inside, getting the go ahead to make their way upstairs. They only passed one other person in the hallway's, otherwise the building seemed vacant. He knocked on the Director's door and went in.

Mrs. Jones sat behind the desk, the Sergeant sitting to her left.

"So you lost Alex, then." Mrs. Jones stated bluntly, obviously she wasn't looking for an answer,s so K unit didn't give her one.

Mrs. Jones nodded, "We're doing what we can, to find Agent Rider. Your services wont be needed. You have mandatory leave before you will be back on SAS active duty. Thank you for your service, you can go now." The woman immediately looked down at her desk, scrawling her name across the signature line of a piece of paper. The message was obvious; get out, I'm done with you.

Wolf was a little more stubborn than that.

"We want to help. We _can_ help find Cub."

"You can't, but I assure you we have the best people on the job."

"I don't think you do. In fact, I don't think you have anyone looking for him at all."

"And why would you say that, Mr. San Luca?"

"Because of the agent we passed in the hall," he glared at the woman in front of him, "he was one of the agents that was _supposed_ to be covering Heathrow airport. Except he's here instead."

Mrs. Jones let out a small sigh, looking mildly exasperated. It was a sign of how much Wolf was getting to her that she gave off any emotion at all.

The Sergeant, who was also present for the debrief, gave him a look to let him know that he was pushing his luck.

"Chances are that Alex - Agent Rider - will get out on his own. If and when he does, he'll contact us immediately. We have an extraction team standing by."

"And if he doesn't get out? What then?"

"I've made arrangements to discuss ransom with his kidnappers."

"So what I'm hearing is if Alex doesn't miraculously Houdini himself out of this situation, his life rests in you hoping you can come to terms with a psychotic criminal."

"That is correct, yes. You are dismissed." This time her voice left no room for argument.

Wolf just stood there for a second, trying to comprehend the unfairness of this entire conversation. Behind him, he could feel his unit silently seething. Wolf wanted to yell. He wanted to fight Mrs. Jones on every step of her plan, or lack thereof. But his training won out. Mrs. Jones turned her eyes on him, the Sergeant gave him a cool look, and Wolf caved. He nodded, retreating out of the room.

Once the door snapped shut, him and his unit stormed down the hall of the Royal and General Bank. They opted to take the elevator and the small space seemed to fill up with their rage.

Wolf couldn't believe that MI6 wasn't going to do anything. After everything Cub had done for them, had done for this country, they were essentially leaving him for dead. And the worst part was, Wolf couldn't do anything about it.

Him and his unit were powerless.

They had no connections outside of the SAS and MI6, and clearly neither of those groups would be willing to help. They themselves knew next to nothing about the people who'd taken Cub. It was just unfair. Why did all the bad things happen to Cub?

He'd been dealt a damn unfair card in the game of life, yet he kept going. Kept fighting. He pushed and pushed and pushed. And for what? So MI6 could look the other way when God knows what was happening to him? He could be dead or worse and they wouldn't even know. How was Wolf meant to reconcile that? How could he just turn the reins to the bastards at MI6 and leave his team mate at the mercy of the Arae? How? How how how?

Wolf didn't know. But according to , he'd have to find out.

* * *

Wolf knocked on the door nervously. They hadn't been back since Alex had been taken, and they didn't know why Jones would want them to go back now.

It hadn't been easy for K unit. After that meeting with Mrs. Jones and the Sergeant, they'd gone to Fox's apartment. Immediately they'd try'd to find Cub. They'd looked up everything they could on the Arae. They took out evidence and looked at reports from the SAS. They went over everything Cub had ever said about them, which admittedly wasn't much. Eventually, they'd conceded defeat. And one month later, they could still barely look at each other.

They avoided all talk of Cub like the plague. Now here they were, back where it had all gone down; the very source of their guilt.

They waited a moment, not sure what to expect. Then, just as they were about to turn back down the driveway, they heard the security chain being slid out of place. The door swung wide, and they were faced with none other than Cub himself.

He had a cast wrapped around his right arm, and he was on crutches, his left leg wrapped from foot to knee. A bandage was wrapped around his forehead, his hair sweeping down over top of it.

They all stared at him, completely gobsmacked.

Cub smirked, leaning casually on the door frame. "No cold callers," he stated in a completely neutral voice that made Wolf want to smack him. Hard. Cub smirked even more, knowing exactly what Wolf was thinking.

"You owe us a damn good explanation kid."

* * *

"So let me get this straight. You _wanted_ to get kidnapped."

"Yes, as I said, after I disbursed the Arae, we couldn't find their secondary location. We new they would want to come after me, so I decided that letting them do just that was the best way to find their hideout. Now we have their base under our thumb and their leaders are on death row for multiple accounts of terrorism."

"Wait, just wait a minute. If you wanted to get kidnapped, why were we here? What if we'd managed to stop them?"

"Please, Eagle. You were never here to stop them. You were here to stop _me_."

"Why would Jones want us to stop you from completing your mission?" Fox asked.

"Well," Cub waved his hand, looking down, "I said that _I_ decided to let myself get kidnapped. MI6 wanted to handle the situation without me. Mrs. Jones thought that if they put you here, I wouldn't try anything."

"You're a bastard, you know that?"

"I've been told that, yes."

"You could have died, Cub."

"We're all dead, Fox. Some of us are just a little further along than others. The past dead and the future dead. Corpses and corpses to be."

"Your a morbid, morose little pessimist, you know that?"

"I've been told that also, yes."

"And why are we here now?" Wolf asked.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Well, despite my reputation, I'm not completely heartless. I wanted to apologize. You risked your life for me and I'm grateful. I meant to call you myself, but I hadn't gotten to it. Jones clearly took matters into her own hands."

"Hadn't gotten to it, aye?" Snake smirked. "Is that teenage spy for 'I was too scared to call you guys'?"

"Ha. Me? Scared? That's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one."

"Oh where have I heard that before? You little liar." Eagle said triumphantly. "Baby Cubby was a wittle bitty scared."

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was tooooooo!"

"Children, please," Wolf interjected, "I expect this kind of behaviour from Eagle, but come on Cub, you're a grown up!"

Eagle gave Wolf an affronted look, while Alex smirked.

* * *

"There's another thing '6 wanted me to talk to you about."

"Oh jeez. What now?" Fox said apprehensively.

"Well, Jones seemed to think that your stay with me went quite smoothly-" Wolf snorted at that. "-and with me going away all the time, there's isn't really anyone in the house. So, '6 wanted to know if you'd be interested in making this a permanent thing."

"Cub. Are you asking us to move in with you?" Eagle asked with a sly grin.

Alex sighed. He seemed to be doing that more and more these days. "Yes, Eagle. Essentially I am."

"Oh essentially he says," Fox mocked. "Just admit it Cub, you need us."

"Aww cute," Cub said humorlessly. "You think I actually like you guys."

"Naw course we don't. We know you like us."

"So, is that a yes?"

* * *

 **Sequal, Normally Perfect, is up. It'll follow Alex's new life with K unit and a return to Brecon Beacons.**

 **Overused topic, I know, but I thought I'd try my hand at it!**


End file.
